Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester said works would include widening and straightening four kilometres of road and upgrading two intersections between North Stirling Road and Smith Road.

“Chester Pass Road forms part of a critical route linking Albany to the Southern Wheatbelt, and it provides access from the surrounding farming areas to the regional service centre of Albany,” Mr Chester said.

Western Australian Minister for Transport Rita Saffioti said two new bridges would also be built over Martaquin Creek and Ongerup Creek to help mitigate the effects of flood events, which currently cause significant disruption to road transport on this important link.

“This road has seen a number of incidents in recent years, including heavy vehicle roll-overs, particularly in the vicinity of Amelup, so these upgrades, along with the construction of two new bridges, will greatly improve safety for all road users including heavy vehicle operators,” Ms Saffioti said.

Federal Member for O’Connor Rick Wilson said funding for the upgrade had been allocated from the Regional Road Safety Package, which is being jointly funded by the Australian and Western Australia governments.

“The feedback I’ve had from truck drivers bringing grain into Albany is that this is a particularly treacherous stretch of the highway and they’re looking forward to seeing these works completed,” Mr Wilson said.

Work is expected to start in December 2017 and be completed by mid-2018.

The Regional Road Safety Package is part of the $2.3 billion road and rail infrastructure package to improve safety, ease congestion and keep the economy moving in Western Australia. The Australian Government has committed $8.8 million and the Western Australia government $2.2 million to the Albany Lake Grace—Amelup curves project.